The average internet speed in the United States is 18.7 Megabits per second (Mbps). New Mexico’s average internet speed is just 12.4 Mbps.

And while the good news is that New Mexico’s speeds increased between the fourth quarter of 2016 and the first quarter of 2017, the bad news is it was the smallest increase of any state—just 0.1 percent.

The report did note that New Mexico’s state Legislature passed “several bills to support expanding access throughout the state, including a call for a statewide broadband network, increased funding for broadband deployment in underserved areas, and legislation that makes it easier for companies to leverage public infrastructure projects to deploy fiber cables.”

One of those broadband bills was vetoed by Gov. Susana Martinez, but is among the 10 vetoes that legislators say are invalid and are suing the governor over. If courts invalidate the governor’s veto, that bill will become law.

Still, if it were a country, New Mexico’s 12.4 Mbps speed would rank third in the Americas, behind only the U.S. and Canada. And it is much better than the 1.4 Mbps average in Paraguay, which ranks dead last.

Worldwide, the average speed is 7.2 Mbps. South Korea once again led the way with an average 28.6 Mbps, while the U.S. ranked 10th.

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Public health orders restricting some businesses and public gatherings are slowly being lifted, but the New Mexico Supreme Court’s restrictions on eviction proceedings and limitations on civil cases in general are still in place. State Supreme Court Justice Shannon Bacon said she expects an increase of civil cases once courts are fully functioning.
“What we’re anticipating with the health pandemic and the downturn of the economy and a really high unemployment rate are issues that really raise their head in the same way they did in 2008 and 2009 with the recession,” Bacon said.

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A day after state health officials announced the highest single-day number of COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, they announced 129 additional confirmed cases and five additional deaths related to the disease.

State Human Services Department Secretary Dr. David Scrase offered some data supporting the use of masks and social distancing to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
The use of face masks in public has become a polarizing topic among some communities as the state has loosened its restrictions on businesses, including closures, over the last week.
While cloth masks aren’t suitable for use in healthcare settings, Scrase said they are still useful at preventing the spread of the illness among the general public.

Public health orders restricting some businesses and public gatherings are slowly being lifted, but the New Mexico Supreme Court’s restrictions on eviction proceedings and limitations on civil cases in general are still in place.

Matthew Reichbach is the editor of the NM Political Report. The former founder and editor of the NM Telegram, Matthew was also a co-founder of New Mexico FBIHOP with his brother and one of the original hires at the groundbreaking website the New Mexico Independent. Matthew has covered events such as the Democratic National Convention and Netroots Nation and formerly published, “The Morning Word,” a daily political news summary for NM Telegram and the Santa Fe Reporter.